Gratitude

But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. (1 Samuel 12:24)

When a topic appears often in scripture, it’s a good idea to take note. It is interesting to see how often in scripture we are reminded to thank God, to be grateful to Him for what we have been given both in natural and spiritual terms. ​

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalm 103:2-5)

What awe and wonder comes over us as we read and mediate on the words, “Who forgives all your iniquity.”  He has not forgiven ‘some’ of our sins. He has not forgiven ‘most’ of us sins. He has forgiven ‘all of our sins’. Perhaps this is an area where you have failed to be deeply grateful. Maybe there has crept in a tendency to take this forgiveness for granted, forgetting the enormous price that Christ paid. Yet this psalmists reminds us to , “Bless the Lord” and “forget not his benefits”.

We are also reminded in this Psalm that God is the one  “who redeems your life from the pit.” What pit has he saved you from? Depression? Unforgiveness? Anxiety? Jealousy? Pride? Greed? Drug addiction? Alcoholism? Fear? Vanity? Laziness? Lust? Self-condemnation? I could go on and on; the list is endless. Yet He has also redeemed us from the pit of eternal separation from Himself. As the hymn writer Charles H Gabriel once wrote;

How marvelous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
How marvelous! How wonderful!
Is my Savior’s love for me!

​We can never thank God enough for saving us from that pit. And how many times does the apostle Paul exhort his converts to live a life of gratitude to God? Here’s just a couple of examples:

Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:20)

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Take a little time now to think of the incredible blessings that God has poured out on us, and I know you will want to make sure He is receiving the wholehearted gratitude He so richly deserves.

“Thankfulness makes much of little.” C. H. Spurgeon

Pauline Ann Anderson